What is Performativity? | Judith Butler | Keyword

In this episode, I try to explain Judith Butler's idea of performativity.

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IG: @theory_and_philosophy

[thisisritzy]

You are so lucid, coherent and concise. On top of that, you are blessed with great lecture oratory skills!

[seanfarley]

I enjoy your straight forward approach to your videos and discussions. Butler is one I am becoming more familiar with though she tends to be a difficult read (I’m in grad school, studying literary theory). Performativity has often intrigued me, namely questioning what is and isn’t natural in terms of why males and females “perform” their gender. I think of feminine gay men and masculine gay women who grew up knowing they were gay but felt compelled to keep it secret. Why did they later adopt a performativity contrary to what was “snowballed” onto them? If I’m being naive, I doubt mean to be: I want to learn. As a gay man, it’s such a fascinating topic. Also you’re just adorable! :)

[kellyrankin]

This gets me to thinking about Hyperreality. The map (gender) covers the territory it is designed to represent (the person) and becomes the truth because of the person's experience in being viewed as the map instead of as the territory. Effectively they are trapped by the automating effect of seeing all the other "maps" around them and suffer a panoptic experience where they police themselves so as to hide that the territory behind the map exists because as you say this could lead to punitive measures if deviations from the map are discovered. The illusion of a coherent idea we call "gender" is maintained through a collective conspiracy maintained by simulant actors hiding the truth that there is none.

[KReedStephenson]

This was so helpful. I love the snowball example. It makes sense.

[jack]

Thanks for this video. Writting a paper about performativity right now and this video has really helped.

[anonymoushuman]

Isn't Butler's concept of performativity also informed by Austin's distinction between performative and constative utterances? I've always assumed it is, associating back to the territorial dispute over Austin between Derrida and Searle in Limited Inc. Maybe I have this wrong, but here's how I think of it. In the same way that we are mostly unaware that our spontaneous uses of language have a performative element -- i.e., are acts, speech acts -- we are mostly unaware of how our spontaneous choices and behavior "perform" in fields of taken-for-granted meaning. But we can also become aware of this and harness performativity consciously. So behavior, like speech, is never purely "constative, " so to speak. It has this additional aspect of "doing things" that can be brought to light. Do I have this right?

[ebbairestad]

this was super helpful! Studying performance studies currently and was having a hard time grasping att all the different definitions. Thank you!

[KindCarer]

Lovely explanation. Thank you for your intellectual generosity. It teaches me a better way to explain Butler's gender theory as I am working with my research (the politics of adoption concerning gender theory). I hope to hear more insights from you soon. Please stay safe always. ❤️

[aaronwimberleymbamsf]

I love Judith butlers interpretation of this concept- I first discovered her interpretation of this from my business school bookstore at Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona with Alessandro durati’s anthropology of language and Key terms in language and culture.

[alutacontinua]

You explain things so well, using everyday language and examples we can all understand. No complex jargon, making it accessible for everyone. You're doing great sweedy 🌻

[alvifatimarizwi]

Beautifully explained! THANK you much ❤️

[benasbaranovskis]

What is the difference between Butler's "Performativity" and Bourdieu's "Habitus" ?

[Zing_art]

Cool! Congratulations on 5K subscribers :) keep it up!

[jboushka]

The work of Paul Rosenfels in the 1970s (Ninth Street Center in the East Village in NYC) regarding "polarities" combined with "social performance" (any one of any sex and sexual orientation can have a "masculine" or "feminine" personality and anyone can be "objective" or "subjective" [masc-ojecvtive and fem-subjective are unbalnced, the other two combinations are balanced) amount to being "performativities". But Paul intended this for adults in personal communities, adults who had assimilated into the world with their own agency; he did not intend these labels to become publc, have pronouns, and be categories of people for political rights.

[sanahdaouki]

10/10 would recommend to a friend :*)

[nightheron]

It would be interesting to volley Butler towards Bourdieu. I’m sure it’s been done before but I would like to hear your take on habitus vs. performativity.

[lane]

As someone who hasn't read Butler, when she says she doesn't know if biological sex exists, is she basically saying that biological sex as it is spoken of today can't be thought of as being purely descriptive because it reinforces the normalizing framework you spoke about? Or that it is belied by normative commitments? Or perhaps she is saying that the category of biological sex encompasses so many disparate things (sexuality in the colloquial sense, hormones, physical appearance, genetics, psychological profile) that the sense they can all be joined together into this unity called "biological sex" is illusory? Any insight here would be appreciated :)

Thank you for the informative video by the way!!

[judehall]

I have a question...can't performativity be applied to any aspect of our live and not just gender? For example, many behaviours, habits etc that are not gender specific could also fit into the realm of performativity?

[xuvetynpygmalion]

Great explanation ! I just love how sincere these representations of your are, and always articulate and calm. How your video content has risen in quality for the past year or so !

[kevingeorge]

I am not a big fan of Butler. But, the way you explained 'performativity' might actually encourage more people to read her stuff. 👍🏼